News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Codey: Don't give me a more Democratic district

Thursday, February 10, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Codey: Don't give me a more Democratic district

Feb 10, 2022

Good Thursday morning!

Talk about man bites dog. There's a Democratic senator who doesn't want a more Democratic district.

In the 2011 redistricting, state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) got saddled with a district that took out his most Democratic areas and put it several towns in Morris County. It was still a Democratic-leaning district, but not quite as safe as the one he had previously held. That was seen as punishment to Codey by the bosses he feuded with for years.

Now, both Democratic and Republican redistricting commissioners have proposed changing Codey's district to a much more Democratic one. Both proposals, despite their myriad differences have an identical 27th District — one that removes all of its Morris County towns as well as two small West Essex County towns. In their place go Irvington and Hillside.

And Codey doesn't want it.

Granted, much of the Morris County portion of Codey's district has trended Democratic in the last several elections. Unstated by Codey, but quite obvious, is the demographic change. The proposed changes add two big, predominantly Black towns and take away some mostly white ones.

If the proposals come to be, only two of the district's three state legislators will be white. You can imagine that Codey, the longest-serving state lawmaker in New Jersey history, might not want to feel pressure to step aside in favor of someone more representative.

Read more about it here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If Codey doesn't want Irvington, I do. I love Irvington." — Assemblymember Ralph Caputo (D-Essex) on the new proposed district maps, which would move Irvington from Caputo's district to state Sen. Richard Codey's (D-Essex). (Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss opposes the move.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Attorney Phil Morin, TAPInto's Mark Bonamo, Harrison Twp. (Gloucester) Dem Chair Kelly Redkoles

WHERE'S MURPHY? No public schedule. Media: NPR at 3 p.m.

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

HAPPENING TODAY – A LONG GAME CONVERSATION ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS : Join POLITICO for back-to-back conversations on climate and sustainability action, starting with a panel led by Global Insider author Ryan Heath focused on insights gleaned from our POLITICO/Morning Consult Global Sustainability Poll of citizens from 13 countries on five continents about how their governments should respond to climate change. Following the panel, join a discussion with POLITICO White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López and Gina McCarthy, White House national climate advisor, about the Biden administration's climate and sustainability agenda. REGISTER HERE.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

SOMETHING SOMETHING DETERMINES DATES — "Dropping indoor mask mandate, New York joins blue states easing Covid rules," by The New York Times' Lisa Lerer, Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Astead W. Herndon: "It was Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey who began the effort last fall, weeks after he was stunned by the energy of right-wing voters in his blue state, who nearly ousted him from office in what was widely expected to be an easy re-election campaign. Arranging a series of focus groups across the state to see what they had missed, Mr. Murphy's advisers were struck by the findings: Across the board, voters shared frustrations over public health measures, a sense of pessimism about the future and a deep desire to return to some sense of normalcy. Then, Omicron hit, delaying any easing of restrictions. But slowly, as case rates began to fall again in January, conversations between Mr. Murphy's aides and senior officials in other states began to pick back up. No actions could be taken until the virus eased its grip, the officials acknowledged. But even Democratic voters, they agreed, were wearying of the toughest restrictions, growing increasingly impatient with mandates and feeling ready to live with the risk that remained."

IT'S TOO LATE TO PAY OFF THE CENSUS TAKERS — " Hudson pols don't like the new legislative maps – but there might not be a better alternative," by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "In the two days since the first two legislative map proposals were released by the Legislative Apportionment Commission, a number of Hudson County politicians have made one thing clear: they don't like either of them. … [T]hree mayors would prefer that the legislative map come close to maintaining its current configuration, in which Jersey City is split only once and West Hudson is kept intact. But population growth in Hudson County – the county grew by 14% from 2010 to 2020, more than double the statewide rate – makes a status quo redistricting impossible. The core of the problem lies in two districts, the 31st and 33rd, which currently contain a total of five municipalities: Bayonne, Jersey City, Union City, Hoboken, and Weehawken. Collectively, those five communities have a population of 511,249, which is 47,099 more people than two legislative districts should ideally have. Thus, mapmakers were presented with two solutions to relieve the excess population: split Jersey City three ways, or remove one of Union City, Hoboken, or Bayonne, each of which has one incumbent legislator."

— Pizarro: "Where the web of redistricting relentlessly tugs "

MOB MENTALITY — "Hochul says not so fast to New Jersey's exit from Waterfront Commission,by POLITICO's Ry Rivard : New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration says New Jersey can't unilaterally demolish a 70-year-old agency tasked with keeping the ports around New York Harbor free of organized crime. For years, New Jersey officials have worked to pull out of the bi-state Waterfront Commission, seemingly under the assumption New York wouldn't lift a finger to save the agency. But on Wednesday, Hochul said not so fast to New Jersey's plans.

MURPHY BROUGHT IN LMFAO FEATURING LITTLE JOHN AS CONTRACTORS — " NJ spent at least $9M testing its unvaccinated workforce as a quarter remain without shots," by WNYC's Karen Yi: "New Jersey has spent at least $9.5 million testing state workers for COVID-19 since Gov. Phil Murphy mandated weekly swabs for unvaccinated public employees returning to the office last fall, according to records obtained by Gothamist. The governor's vax-or-test rule applied to state employees as they resumed in-person duties beginning October 18th. Gothamist obtained a ledger of payments the state made to its primary testing provider, Vault Health, through a public records request to understand how many taxpayer dollars have gone toward testing public workers, about 26% of whom are unvaccinated. Gothamist also obtained a breakdown of vaccination rates for the state's 77,000 employees, which show most departments and agencies have fully inoculated more than 70% of their staff, according to the governor's office. The Department of Corrections and NJ Transit have the lowest rates at 41% and 61% respectively. The Turnpike Authority and State Police also ranked toward the bottom with only 64% and 65%, respectively, taking all their recommended shots."

HALL AND NOTES — " N.J. just eliminated billions in debt, but Republicans say it falls short of Murphy's promise," by NJ Advance Media's Derek Hall : "The state Treasury Department announced last week it had cleared roughly $2.2 billion in bonded debt from New Jersey's balance sheet, slightly improving the state's financial outlook and saving taxpayers more than $600 million in the process. It represents a small fraction of the state's long-term debt obligations, which totaled $36.4 billion as of June 30, according to the Department of Treasury. The announcement comes 15 months after Gov. Phil Murphy borrowed $4 billion in COVID-19 emergency funding … Republican lawmakers, however, have criticized the Democratic governor for needlessly adding to the state's financial burdens. State Assemblyman Hal Wirths, R-Sussex, described the recent claims of taxpayer savings as a 'charade.' 'I'm always for paying down debt,' said Wirths, who serves as the Republican budget officer. 'It's just a little phony to say you saved taxpayers money.' Wirths and others argue the recent debt payoff falls short of what Murphy promised when he sought approval for emergency borrowing during the early stages of the pandemic."

OFF THE CHARTERS — Department of Education denies expansion requests from 4 more charter schools, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: Hours after charter school advocates blasted Gov. Phil Murphy's decision to deny several schools' expansion requests, the state Department of Education issued four more denials. The state DOE late Tuesday denied seat expansion to North Star Academy and Roseville Community Charter School in Newark, Hudson Arts and Science Charter School in Kearny, and Central Jersey College Prep in New Brunswick and Franklin. The DOE also approved expansion requests for Barack Obama Green Charter High School in Plainfield and College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School. The state provided different justifications for each denial, ranging from issues with enrollment charts, a failure to "clearly articulate a comprehensive school plan" and an absence of "evidence of sustained and continued organizational progress."

— "Cimino to head up public affairs firm for Stevens & Lee"

— Brindle: " Political party coffers shrink as outside groups grow"

— "Possible N.J. Supreme Court nominee temporarily elevated to appellate court"

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

BIDEN TIME

FILE UNDER 'THINGS THAT TOTALLY MAKE SENSE' — "Kids will have to still wear masks on school buses in N.J. even after mandate is lifted," by NJ Advance Media's Karin Price Mueller: "Although Gov. Phil Murphy is dropping the requirement that kids wear masks in schools as of March 7, the federal government will still require masks to be worn on all school buses, as it does on public transport. Murphy made the long-awaited announcement on Monday but did not address the bus issue. However, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday night that the mask mandate will remain in place for buses. 'School buses are subject to federal masking regulations,' which require masks on all public mass transportation, said Alyana Alfaro, a spokeswoman for the governor's office."

LOCAL

THE DEVLIN YOU KNOW — " Devlin hearing 5.5 hours of acrimonious debate, continues Wednesday," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "Tuesday night's hearing to determine whether Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority Board Chair John Devlin should be removed for alleged misconduct went on for 5-and-a-half acrimonious hours. … The lawyers often accused each other of using unfair and unethical tactics. … The attorney arguing for removal, George Frino of the DeCotiis law firm, said Devlin had attempted to undermine the efficiency and orderly operation of the authority through improper influence on selection of vendors and through other means. … The first witness was former ACMUA executive director Bruce Ward, who retired almost two years ago. He accused Devlin of improperly interfering with ACMUA business and scotching Ward's plans to install a solar facility Ward said would save the utility $1 million a year."

— "Sears building is a monument to an earlier era in Hackensack. A lawsuit threatens it"

— " NJ schools focus on figuring out how to fix COVID learning loss"

— "New Toms River school superintendent: 'Faith and trust' eroded, and he'll get it back"

— "Cherry Hill residents want to know why acres of trees were cut down for new houses"

— "Price shock: Tourism fees for some businesses in Belmar go up 900%"

EVERYTHING ELSE

HIGHER ED — New Jersey college students of color experiencing more Covid-related anxiety than white peers, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: Students of color attending New Jersey colleges are continuing to experience more pandemic-related stress and anxiety than their white counterparts, according to a new state survey. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education on Wednesday released findings of a fall 2021 questionnaire that shows that among Native American, Black, Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students who responded, 76 percent said their stress level this year was higher than in the fall of 2020, compared to 64 percent among white respondents. Secretary of Higher Education Brian Bridges called the findings "jarring" and said the survey results "demonstrate the pandemic's disparate toll on New Jersey's marginalized communities."

WITH A NAME LIKE THAT HE WAS DESTINED TO DISLIKE THE KING — "Black soldier who crossed Delaware with Washington will be honored in New Jersey," by The Courier-Post's Matthew Korfhage: "His story wasn't taught in schoolbooks. But in Burlington, New Jersey, and across the country, nine generations of his family helped keep it alive. 'We knew that our great-great-great grandfather — I forget how many greats — had crossed the Delaware with Washington,' [Jane] Fox Long said. 'It was the story that my mom had told, and it was also passed down to her. … [Oliver] Cromwell was a decorated hero of New Jersey, they knew, a representative of an American history that had gone unheralded for much of this nation's lifetime: an African American patriot of the Revolutionary War. … Though a decorated soldier, Cromwell lies in an unmarked grave in Burlington at the Broad Street Methodist Cemetery. For centuries, official commemorations of his service were denied. But at long last on April 27, Cromwell will receive his due with a ceremony and historical marker from the Daughters of the American Revolution, an organization long charged with honoring Revolutionary War heroes."

MURDERER ON THE ROOF — "A Cherry Hill rabbi hired a hitman to murder his wife. Now, there's a musical about the case ," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Kevin Riordan: "The lurid murder-for-hire plot that claimed Carol Neulander's life, landed her rabbi husband, Fred Neulander, in prison, and broke the heart of South Jersey's Jewish community has inspired a full-length musical theater piece. A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill is being produced by the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, where it is set for a world premiere in June. The show consists entirely of songs by Matt Schatz, an award-winning playwright and composer who grew up in South Jersey and was in high school on Nov. 1, 1994, when the victim, a mother of three, was bludgeoned to death at her home. The rabbi was having an affair with a local radio personality, the widow of a well-known radio host, and had paid a self-styled private investigator and an accomplice $18,000 to kill his wife."

DEATH SIDE STORY — "New Jersey's deadliest serial killer Charles Cullen is coming to Netflix this year," by MyCentralJersey's Jenna Intersimone: "New Jersey's most prolific serial killer, who is thought to have murdered up to 400 people, is heading to Netflix. Charles Cullen, a former nurse, was convicted in 2006 for murdering 29 patients with rogue injections while he worked at New Jersey and Pennsylvania hospitals, including Hunterdon Medical Center and Somerset Medical Center. 'The Good Nurse,' a film based on the true-crime book of the same name, will be released on the streaming platform this year."

— New Jersey power auction yields higher prices for electric but stable rates for most customers

— "NJ investigates hospital company over racist language in workplace"

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